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Francesco Versace, Ph.D.

Present Title & Affiliation

Primary Appointment

Assistant Professor, Department of Behavioral Science, Division of OVP, Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX

Bio Statement

Dr. Francesco Versace is an experimental psychologist. As a Ph.D. student, he worked on cognitive psychophysiology and methodology of scientific research. As a post-doctoral research associate at the NIMH Center for the Study of Emotion and Attention at the University of Florida, Dr. Versace refined his expertise in affective neuroscience conducting experiments investigating the physiological correlates of emotional imagery and memory, using both dense sensor array EEG and functional MRI.

His current line of research at the U.T. MD Anderson Cancer Center focuses on the psychophysiology and psychopharmacology of nicotine addiction. In particular, he is working on experiments aimed at studying, by means of dense sensor array event related potentials (ERPs) and functional MRI, the relationships between cognitive and emotional processes and the maintenance of smoking behavior, cessation, and relapse.

Education & Training

Degree-Granting Education

2003 University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy, PHD, Experimental Psychology
1997 University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy, Laurea, Psychology

Selected Publications

Peer-Reviewed Original Research Articles
1. Lam CY, Robinson JD, Versace F, Minnix JA, Cui Y, Carter BL, Wetter DW, Cinciripini PM. Affective reactivity during smoking cessation for never-quitters compared with that of abstainers, relapsers, and continuing smokers. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology. In Press.
2. Cui, Y., Robinson, J.D., Versace, F., Lam, C.Y., Minnix, J.A., Karam-Hage, M., Dani, J.A., Kosten, K.R., Wetter, D.W., Brown, V.L., Cinciripini, P.M. Differential cigarette-related startle cue reactivity among light, moderate, and heavy smokers. Addictive Behaviors. In Press.
3. Engelmann JM, Versace F, Robinson JD, Minnix JA, Lam CY, Cui Y, Brown VL, Cinciripini PM. Neural substrates of smoking cue reactivity: A meta-analysis of fMRI studies. Neuroimage 60(1):252-262, 3/2012. e-Pub 12/2011. PMCID: PMC3288122.
4. Versace F, Engelmann JM, Jackson EF, Costa VD, Robinson JD, Lam CY, Minnix JA, Brown VL, Wetter DW, Cinciripini PM. Do brain responses to emotional images and cigarette cues differ? An fMRI study in smokers. Eur J Neurosci 34(12):2054-63, 12/2011. e-Pub 11/2011. PMCID: PMC3237919.
5. Lam CY, Robinson JD, Versace F, Minnix JA, Cui Y, Carter BL, Wetter DW, Cinciripini PM. Affective reactivity during smoking cessation of never-quitters as compared with that of abstainers, relapsers, and continuing smokers. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol. e-Pub 10/2011. PMID: 22039752.
6. Versace F, Lam CY, Engelmann JM, Robinson JD, Minnix JA, Brown VL, Cinciripini PM. Beyond cue reactivity: Blunted brain responses to pleasant stimuli predict long-term smoking abstinence. Addict Biol. e-Pub 10/2011. PMCID: PMC3252422.
7. Versace F, Minnix JA, Robinson JD, Lam CY, Brown VL, Cinciripini PM. Brain reactivity to emotional, neutral, and cigarette-related stimuli in smokers. Addict Biol 16(2):296-307, 4/2011. e-Pub 12/2010. PMCID: PMC3058803.
8. Lang PJ, Wangelin BC, Bradley MM, Versace F, Davenport PW, Costa VD. Threat of suffocation and defensive reflex activation. Psychophysiology 48(3):393-6, 3/2011. e-Pub 7/2010. PMID: 20667037.
9. Robinson JD, Lam CY, Carter BL, Minnix JA, Cui Y, Versace F, Wetter DW, Cinciripini PM. A multimodal approach to assessing the impact of nicotine dependence, nicotine abstinence, and craving on negative affect in smokers. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol 19(1):40-52, 2/2011. PMID: 21341922.
10. Costa VD, Lang PJ, Sabatinelli D, Versace F, Bradley MM. Emotional imagery: Assessing pleasure and arousal in the brain's reward circuitry. Hum Brain Mapp 31(9):1446-57, 9/2010. e-Pub 2/2010. PMID: 20127869.
11. Versace F, Bradley MM, Lang PJ. Memory and event-related potentials for rapidly presented emotional pictures. Exp Brain Res 205(2):223-33, 8/2010. e-Pub 7/2010. PMCID: PMC2987666.
12. Versace F, Robinson JD, Lam CY, Minnix JA, Brown VL, Carter BL, Wetter DW, Cinciripini PM. Cigarette cues capture smokers' attention: Evidence from event-related potentials. Psychophysiology 47(3):435-41, 5/2010. e-Pub 1/2010. PMID: 20070579.
13. Miccoli L, Versace F, Koterle S, Cavallero C. Comparing sleep-loss sleepiness and sleep inertia: lapses make the difference. Chronobiol Int 25(5):725-44, 9/2008. PMID: 18780200.
14. Versace F, Mazzetti M, Codispoti M. The temporal stability of the effects induced by the cued reaction time task. Assessment 15(2):145-52, 6/2008. PMID: 18463405.
15. Pastor MC, Bradley MM, Löw A, Versace F, Moltó J, Lang PJ. Affective picture perception: Emotion, context, and the late positive potential. Brain Res 1189:145-151, 1/2008. e-Pub 11/2007. PMCID: PMC2993239.
16. Sabatinelli D, Bradley MM, Lang PJ, Costa VD, Versace F. Pleasure rather than salience activates human nucleus accumbens and medial prefrontal cortex. J Neurophysiol 98(3):1374-1379, 9/2007. e-Pub 6/2007. PMID: 17596422.
17. Versace F, Cavallero C, De Min Tona G, Mozzato M, Stegagno L. Effects of sleep reduction on spatial attention. Biol Psychol 71(3):248-255, 3/2006. e-Pub 6/2005. PMID: 15978717.
18. Versace F, Mozzato M, De Min Tona G, Cavallero C, Stegagno L. Heart rate variability during sleep as a function of the sleep cycle. Biol Psychol 63(2):149-162, 5/2003. PMID: 12738405.
19. Cavallero, C, Versace, F. Stage at awakening, sleep inertia, and cognitive performance. Sleep Research Online 5(3):89-97, 2003.

Abstracts
1. Minnix JA, Versace F, Robinson JD. Brain reactivity to varying types of emotional and cigarette-related stimuli in smokersq. Psychophysiology 48:S114-S114, 9/2011.
2. Versace F, Lam CY, Engelmann JM, et al. It is not all about cigarettes: blunted brain responses to pleasant stimuli predict long-term smoking abstinence. Psychophysiology 48:S84-S84, 9/2011.
3. Cui Y, Robinson JD, Versace F, et al. The impacts of nicotine dependence severity and depression vulnerability on the responses to unpleasant stimuli in smokers. Psychophysiology 48:S94-S94, 9/2011.
4. Cui, Y, Robinson JD, Versace, F, Lam, CY, Minnix, JA, Dani, JA, Cinciripini, PM. Differential Startle Cue Reactivity in Light and Heavy Smokers. Psychophysiology 47(Supp 1):S61, 2010.
5. Versace, F, Jackson, EF, Robinson, JD, Lam, CY, Minnix, JA, Brown, VL, Cinciripini, PM. Processing of Intrinsically Emotional and Cigarette Related Images in Smokers: An FMRI Study. Psychophysiology 47(Supp 1):S2, 2010.
6. Robinson, JD, Lam, CY, Carter, BL, Minnix, JA, Versace, F, Wetter, DW, Cinciripini, PM. The Impact of Nicotine Dependence and Withdrawal on Somatic and Autonomic Nervous System Measures of Affective Response to Emotional and Cigarette Related Images in Smokers. Psychophysiology 47(Supp 1):S61, 2010.
7. Lam CY, Robinson JD, Carter BL, Wetter DW, Versace F, Minnix JA, Cinciripini PM. Discrepancy between a psychophysiological index of emotional reactivity and self-report measures of affect among abstaining and non-abstaining smokers. Proceedings of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco 2010, Baltimore, Maryland, 2009.
8. Versace F, Robinson J.D., Lam CY, Minnix JA, Brown VL, Cinciripini PM. Event-related potentials to cigarette related and other intrinsically motivating stimuli. Psychophysiology 46(S1):s4, 2009.
9. Costa VD, Versace, F, Bradley, MM, Lang, PJ. Neural networks underlying narrative emotional imagery. Psychophysiology 45(S1):s51, 2008.
10. Versace, F, Robinson, JD, Minnix, JA, Lam, CY, Carter, BL, Wetter, DW, Cinciripini, PM. Startle Probe P3 Amplitude When Viewing Cigarette Cues. Psychophysiology 45(S1):s105, 2008.
11. Wangelin, BC, Versace, F, Bradley, MM, Davenport, P, Lang, PJ. Threat of suffocation? Defensive activation and respiratory load. Psychophysiology 45(S1):s25, 2008.
12. Versace, F, Bradley, MM, Lang, PJ. Recognition memory for emotional and non emotional pictures. Psychophysiology 44(s1):S82, 2007.
13. Sabatinelli, D, Sivinski, RG, Versace, F, Bradley, MM, Lang, PJ. Reliable sources: Dense EEG and fast fMRI in affective perception. Psychophysiology 44(s1):S28, 2007.
14. Cavallero, C, Versace, F, Jugovac, D, Miccoli, L. How sleep reduction affects spatial orienting. Journal of Sleep Research 11(1):34, 2002.

Grant & Contract Support

Title: The Generalizability of Attentional Bias Modification in Smokers
Funding Source: NIH/NIDA
Role: Collaborator
Principal Investigator: J Robinson
Duration: 9/1/2012 - 3/31/2016
 
Title: Identifying Topiramates Therapeutic mechanisms through Motivational Salience
Funding Source: NIH/NCI
Role: Collaborator
Principal Investigator: J Robinson
Duration: 7/1/2012 - 6/30/2017
 
Title: Cortical reactivity to pleasant and cigarette cues: a conditioning paradigm
Funding Source: Pfizer GRAND 2011, The Global Research Awards for Nicotine Dependence
Role: Principal Investigator
Duration: 12/1/2011 - 11/30/2013
 
Title: Impact of past chemotherapy on emotional processing: An fMRI study in breast cancer survivors
Funding Source: UTMD Anderson Cancer Center
Role: Principal Investigator
Duration: 6/1/2011 - 3/29/2013
 
Title: Putting smoking addiction in the affective context: Event-related potentials to emotional and neutral stimuli during a smoking cessation intervention
Funding Source: UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
Role: Principal Investigator
Duration: 2010 - 8/31/2011
 
Title: Error Sensitivity as a Predictor of Nicotine Withdrawal and Smoking Cessation
Funding Source: NIH/NIDA
Role: Co-Investigator
Principal Investigator: Cinciripini
Duration: 8/1/2009 - 7/31/2012
 
Title: Administrative Supplement, Relationship of emotional reactivity to abstinence outcomes in smokers with current chronic depressive disorders
Funding Source: NIH/NCI
Role: Co-Investigator
Principal Investigator: Blalock
Duration: 8/1/2009 - 7/31/2010
 
Title: Suppression of Negative Affect Indexed by the Late Positive Potential in Smokers
Funding Source: NIH/NIDA
Role: Co-Mentor
Principal Investigator: Jennifer A. Minnix
Duration: 5/1/2009 - 4/30/2011
 
Title: Effectiveness of Varenicline plus Bupropion for smoking cessation
Funding Source: NIH/NIDA
Role: Co-Investigator
Principal Investigator: Cinciripini
Duration: 4/1/2009 - 3/31/2014
 
Title: The Effects of Smoking and Expectancy on ERP Measures of Attentional Bias
Funding Source: NIH/NIDA
Role: Co-Mentor
Principal Investigator: Jason D. Robinson
Duration: 6/1/2008 - 5/30/2013

Last updated: 3/22/2012